State of Connecticut v. Brushaun Thompson-Baker

Fairfield, Connecticut criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with f assault of public safety personnel, and, in the second part, with being a persistent serious felony offender.



On June 9, 2022, the defendant, having been arrested the previous day, was brought to the courthouse in the judicial district of Fairfield at Bridgeport, geographical area number two (G.A. 2), for the purposes of arraignment. After the defendant's arraignment, he became agitated and aggressive. He yelled obscenities, talked over both the judge and his public defender, and threatened McKenzie Bushnell, one of the judicial marshals who escorted him from the courtroom back to the holding cell. Specifically, the defendant referred to Bushnell 3as a ''bitch,'' and stated that he was going to remember her and that she was ''not to fucking touch him ....''



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At trial, the prosecutor presented testimony from three witnesses: Bushnell, Kramer, and Dalby. After the prosecutor rested the state's case-in-chief, defense counsel offered as the defense's sole evidence a stipulation that the state judicial marshals' handbook (handbook) does not contain any directive or guidance prohibiting ''an inmate who is at the hospital from receiving food from the hospital.''[3] The prosecutor agreed to this stipulation, and the defense rested.



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Legal issue Was the evidence sufficient to prove that a judicial marshal was acting in the performance of official duties when assaulted by the defendant?



Key Phrases Assault of public safety personnel. Persistent serious felony offender. Insufficient evidence claim. Performance of official duties. Judicial marshals' handbook.

Defendant was found guilty. On May 31, 2023, the court sentenced the defendant to twenty-seven months of incarceration, followed by ten years of special parole.



Affirmed on appeal.